In 2015, Edvald Boasson Hagen will swap the Sky jersey for the MTN-Qhubeka team kit but h remains very ambitious after a disappointing 2014 season when he failed to win a single race. After four seasons with the British team, he starts a new phase of his career with the South African team and he has big goals at Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de France.

Boasson Hagen recently made his debut for his new team when he did one of the one-day races at the Challenge Mallorca. He now hopes to turn his career around after he failed to live up to the lofty expectations at sky. Now he is in search of a big win that would crown his career.

“It was great to be at Sky,” he told BiciCiclismo. “It is a great team but I felt it was time to try something new. Sometimes you need to change your career. I think I made the right decision. Surely I will have more opportunities at  MTN. We won’t focus on the GCs but on sprints and breakaways.”

Nonetheless, he enjoyed some success at Sky.

“My two victories in the Tour de France are my personal big moment and of course it was really great to be part of the team that won the Tour with Wiggins. It has always been my goal to win in the Tour and I hope to do so again.”

His decision to join MTN-Qhubeka was not a difficult one.

“From a sporting point of view it is a good team,” he said. “And it is great that we will ride the Tour de France.  It will be the first African team to do so and to be part of that story is important too. I feel good, the team is good and we started well. I think it will be a good year. And we have a social project with Qhubeka, providing bikes and promoting cycling. The work we are doing in Africa, improving the lives of people, really attracts me. I like to help other people of course.”

As always, Boasson Hagen will focus on the Tour de France.

“Qatar, Oman, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad,Tirreno-Adriatico, Sanremo, E3, Ghent-Wevelgem, Flanders and Roubaix,” he said when asked about his calendar.” Then I'll have a break and will ride the Norwegian Tour des Fjords, Dauphiné and Nationals before the Tour de France. It's the same calendar that I have had in the past. I did not change much.

“I want to have a better season than last year, to win more races, to do the Tour de France and fight for a stage win. I want to win more or at least I will try to do. Last year was not the best so the main goal is to win again.

“There is no difference when it comes to the pressure. It is always about winning as much as you can. That’s all I want. The pressure is on me because I want to win.

“The big objective is Paris-Roubaix. I know that is a lofty goal. It is the classic I like the most because it is very hard. is a great goal, but it must be so because no one remembers who was second or third. I would also be happy with a top 10, but my goal is to win in Roubaix and get a big win in my career. And I want to have a good overall performance in all the classics, from Sanremo to Roubaix. They are all races with a lot of focus and it is important for me and the team to do well.”

The team has made several key signings and now has lots of sprinters. Boason Hagen will have to share sprinting duties with the likes of Theo Bos, Gerald Ciolek, Tyler Farrar and Matthew Goss but Boasson Hagen is not concerned.

“I do not think it's a problem,” he said. “We are working well together and want to win races. That is the main objective. There are opportunities for everyone.”